In Tandem
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 9 - Tina ponders signing up for Glee and turns to Artie for help.


Three... Two (!!) week Glee hiatus, the horrors! To try and make it go by faster, I decided to do this project. I'll put up one new ficlet every day (I hope...) up to the day Glee returns! So be on the lookout! :)

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**"In Tandem"  
Tina, Artie/Tina**

When the sign-up sheet went up and she saw it, she felt two emotions all at once. On one side, she was anxious, almost giddy. Glee Club could be fun. She loved to sing, loved to feel as though she was suddenly mighty. On stage, she could be something bigger than herself.

The other side though… that one was well content to remain in the shadows. So when she saw the sign-up sheet for the first time, she walked away.

She arrived in class, taking her usual seat – in the back, by the window. Though she'd walked away without putting her name down, it didn't keep her from pondering what song to audition with. Her feet began to tap back and forth as she thought.

When she looked aside a minute later, she smiled – Artie had arrived. He'd wheeled up to the chairless desk, next to hers. She held her hand up in a partial wave, and he did the same.

Tina didn't have many people she counted as friends. She had one – Artie. Back in elementary school, they were never far behind one another, an alphabetical blessing. They had become fast friends on the basic grounds that Artie could do something for her that no one else had – he could make her forget about her stutter.

He was good to her, good for her, and she always did her best to return the gesture for him. His wheelchair had always been a non-factor between them. It was just a part of him which didn't affect his being a good person and a great friend.

In a way she had him to thank for discovering her love for music and singing. When he'd started playing the guitar, she had listened at first, but after a while she would chime in by providing voice to whatever song he was playing.

Then there'd be times where he would add his voice to hers… She just couldn't help smiling in those times and, more so, she had to recognize… she liked him.

She'd always liked him; he was her best and only friend… But every duet brought her further in understanding it was about much more than friendship now. There was only one problem… How to tell him? Until she could figure that out, she'd settle on being friends. In a way, she wasn't in a hurry. She didn't want to consider the possibility of rejection.

"Did you see? They're auditioning for Glee Club," Artie told her as he stopped at his desk.

"Y-yeah," she nodded, looking at her notebook. "I saw," she went on.

"Are you going to do it?" She shrugged. "No?" She looked at him.

"I-I don't know," she shrugged again. She knew he'd try to convince her before he did it… Maybe that was all she needed.

"You should," he nodded. "They'll be lucky to have you," he spoke confidently. That got a smile out of her.

"Maybe… M-Maybe if you did it too…" she suggested, the idea coming to her at once. Now it was his turn to shrug. She was locked on to the idea now, she wasn't going to let it go. "I-if you do it, I'll d-do it, too," she suggested. He smirked.

"Deal." She blinked. Did he trick her? Perhaps… But a moment later, it didn't matter anymore. For a while, she could be excited, not worried.

When class was over, Artie gave her a look, and she nodded. They went to the sign-up sheet. There were a couple of names already. Tina signed her name and Artie's. She looked back to him, pleased.

At lunchtime, Tina was so concentrated on her iPod, hoping to settle on her audition song, she completely ignored her lunch. "Tina, eat," Artie spoke, waving a hand in her face. She blinked, looking down to her tray. She chuckled and picked up her fork. "Found a song yet?"

"No," she spoke disappointedly.

"I can take a look if you want," he suggested. Tina handed over the iPod.

As Artie browsed through her song list, Tina would steal glances toward him. She tried to imagine what it would be like, to tell him how she felt about him. The fears she had over a negative outcome were still far too heavy for her to ignore and take a leap of faith.

"A… anything?" she asked, munching on a carrot stick. He handed her a bud and she placed it in her ear. He hit play and she laughed. "I d-don't think so," she shook her head.

"No?" he smirked. She scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Okay, looking," he looked back to the iPod. "What kind of song were you thinking about?" She remained quiet, taking another carrot stick. Artie watched her for a moment, before looking to the iPod. It took her two more carrot sticks before…

"B-bold."

"Bold," he nodded, spinning the wheel.

"Fun."

"Of course," he spun. "Male or female?" She shrugged. "Female," he decided, making her smirk.

"F-fresh," she nodded.

"Right, I've got you," he spun the wheel. Oh, she hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Did you pick y-your song?" she asked. She saw a smile at the corners of his lips. "What is it?" He shook his head. "T-tell me!" she begged.

"Sorry," he looked back to the iPod. "We're taking care of you right now."

She couldn't stop smiling. When Artie pressed play again, she laughed as she had the first time, but then she nodded.

"I like it. I c-can totally rock it."

"No doubt," he held his hand out and she high-fived it.

"T-tell me your song!" she tried to bait him.

"Not happening," he resisted, returning her iPod. She groaned, denied.

"Fine. I-I'll wait."

"Yes, you will," he nodded and she 'frowned.'

The rest of the day and the next one played like a game of cat and mouse, with Tina trying to get Artie to reveal his audition song. It was easier than being left to the mercy of her nerves as audition time drew nearer. Part of her wondered if he'd done it on purpose.

When time finally came, Tina and Artie headed to the auditorium. "L-last chance," she told him as she held the door for him. He shook his head.

"Go," he nodded, seeing Mr. Schuester was waving Tina over. "Good luck. You don't need it, but… good luck." She let out a breath and moved to the stage.

Somehow, knowing that Artie was back there, she knew she had all the strength in her that she needed.

"T-Tina C. I k-kissed a girl."

THE END


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